Town chairman David Sheepshanks says that including status payments in players' improved contracts in the summer of 2001 was impossible. Some have criticised the club for giving players contracts which did not reduce on relegation.

The chairman says that at that time such clauses would not have been accepted: "That is something that is easy to point to now with hindsight, as market conditions are so different. As we got to summer 2002, when the market started to crash, the boot started to go to the other foot and then it became possible to negotiate status payments.

"We had status payments with our players in Division One when we were promoted, so that when they were promoted they got an immediate rise and if they got relegated they went back to Division One rates.

"When we got into the Premier League we couldn't have attracted the players we wanted on that basis. If you try and say to David Beckham that your wage will go down if Manchester United don't qualify for the Champions' League, you're not going to get a positive answer. It doesn't happen.

"In addition agents would not accept contracts like that for their players. They'd say their player could move elsewhere in the Premiership. Everybody said the same thing. The mood of the country was that there were no reductions on relegation."

Sheepshanks was talking to TWTD as part of an exclusive interview which appears in the latest issue of the fanzine. The chairman speaks about how the club got into its current state and how he plans to go forward from here.

The fanzine is available around the ground before tomorrow's game with Grimsby or by post from: " target="_blank">http://www.twtd.co.uk/stall

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